Improved amalgamator



' Urvrrnn STATES;

A'IENT Fries.

THOMAS TRIPP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, GEO. S.

CURTIS, E. G. L. FAXON, AND HENRY S. DODGE.

IMPROVED AMALGAMATOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,074, dated April 17,1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS TRIPP, of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inAmalgamators; and I do hereby make known and declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being badto the accompanying drawings and the letters and figures marked thereon,which form part of this specification.

The nature of my said invention consists in a novel mode of submergingthe pulverized or disintegrated ores beneath the bath of molten lead ormercury in the amalgamator; and also in a novel arrangement forthoroughly dispersing and diffusing the ores throughout theamalgamating-bath.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand how to construct anduse my invention, I will proceed to describe the same withparticularity, making reference in so doing to the aforesaid drawings,in which Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my invention Fig.2, avertical central section of the same; and Fig. 3, a detached view, insection, at the line 9:, in Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference in the different figures denote the sameparts of my invention.

A represents the circular vessel for containing the amalgamating-bath,and B a stationary vertical tube or vessel, supported and arranged ashereinafter described, into which the pulverized ores are fed throughthe tube C and funnel D, substantially as shown. The said vessel B,which holds the ores, is arranged within a revolving vessel or cylindermarked E, which is supported upon a suitable bearing, as shown in thebottom of the vessel A. The cylinder B does not extend down to thebottom of the vessel or cylinder E, being supported within the same bythe arms I), attached to the plate 0, which has a pivot-bearin g in thebottom of the cylinder E, so as to allow said cylinder E to revolvewhile the vessel B upon the plate 0 remains stationary, suitablearrangements above being made to prevent its revolution with thecylinder E. Motion is imparted to said cylinderE by means of thedrivewheel J and cord I passing around the pulley H,.as shown. Saidpulley being rigidly fixed upon the sleeve G, which revolves upon thecentral tube C, and said sleeve G being rigidly attached to a largersleeve, F, fitting closely, yet removably, upon the upper end of thesaid cylinder E, it is evident that the revolution of the wheelJ willrevolve the cylindrical vesselE.

In the walls of the revolving cylinder E, near the bottom and justbeneath the lower end of the stationary cylinder B, are arranged one ormore tubes, M, as shown, whose diameter is nearly equal to the spacewhich intervenes between the lower end of the vessel B and the bottomplate, 0, the inner ends of such tubes extending inward beneath thevertical walls of said stationary vessel B, while the outer ends projectinto the bath in the amalgamator. Thus by first filling the chamber Bwith the ores and afterward putting the amalgamatingbath into the vesselA, and then imparting a rapid revolving motion to the cylinder E inproper direction, the ores at the bottom of the vessel B are rapidlyscooped in by the said tubes M and discharged out at the outer endsthereof into the amalgamating-bath, through which the ores and basermetals rise to the surface, while the gold and silver are retainedtherein. It is ascertained by actual experiment, however, that when thepulverized ores are discharged into and beneath the bath, whether bythis machine or any other, small quanties of the ores immediatelyconglomerate into globular. masses, which are incrusted and incased witha thin coating of the bath, and in this form rise to the surface withouthaving been subjected to the action of the bath to any practicalpurpose. Hence the operation of an y amalgamatin g apparatus must bevery imperfect and unsatisfactory unless some means be devised forcounteracting the aforesaid tendency of the ores to conglomerate. Inthis machine I attach, for this purpose, to the walls of theamalgamating-vessel strips N, arranged as shown and projecting radiallyinward. As the rotatory motion of the cylinder E gives a correspondingmotion to the contents of the amalgamating-vesse], the direction inwhich the said masses of ores rise to the surface of the bath is in anoblique course, and hence they will meet in their ascent with the saidslats or breakers, which will break and disperse said globules anddiffuse the ores thoroughly through the bath. It is obvious that themode 2. In combination with the above, the employment of one or moretubes, M, arranged substantially as and. for the purposes described.

3. The arrangement of the stationary plate 0 beneath the discharge-pipesM, for the purpose of preventing a rotating motion of the ores below thetube or cylinder B, substantially as herein shown.

THOMAS TRIPP. Witnesses W. E. MARRS, L. L. OoBURN.

